The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-30
FIGHTING ANDtfRAPPING.
BUFFALO B1L1.a1.Ls ALL ABOUT
THEl4OUT WEST.


BUFFALO BILL @ELLs ALL ABOUT
THEAoUT WEST.
Some Information Gtaciously vouch-
-safed to Her Majesty's British Sub
iects-- Early Blood Letting In Bleeding
Kansas Bill las a. Trapper-Hair-
y Breadth Scapes.
". r. Cody (''Bufalo Biil'O in M,rroys Mag
ozine for June.
Lam frequently asked whether the In
dams who have accompanied ME to this
N country are old friends of mine, accustomed
by long course of training to the parts
. they play in my exhibition of the "Wild
3 West" 1t would be more correct to call
them old enemies Their rehearsals have
taken place ON the path, and possibly
they may some day return to it. Their expe-
rience of civilization is Small; their
services are at my disposal for
Limited period, never exceeding a
year, after which they return to their
reserves, richer and possibly wiser men. 1t
is indeed only by obtaining constant sue
cession of untutored braves that can in
sure that freshness of incident and spon-
taneous action which are SO peculiarly char
acteristic of the red red men. Civilization
has very mixed effects upon an Indian; if
he once learns to speak English he will soon
forget all his native cunning and pride of
race I find no difficulty in persuading
esufficient number to join me. / explain
to them what | want done, and they have
perfect confidence in my word that
whatever agreement is made will be
carried out to the letter. They know that
they will be well paid and we'll fed; in other
matters, clothing, for instance, their re-
quirements are small 1t is, of course, only
4 possible to arrange with them during a.
period of peace; if they ever go on the war
path again our relations will perhaps be of
different character. But in peace their
most relentless enemies can safely traverse
their country. They abide honorably by
pledges once given, and among them; when
the Ratchet is buried, treachery is unknown
This is more than could always be said for
the white men in my young days. My
father was killed before my eyes by a
towards hand striking treacherously from
behind. / was but boy of 10 at the time;
we were living in Kansas, and there was a
struggle between the Free State party and
the slave. owners as to whether slavery
should be permitted or not. In some States
it was allowed, in Others prohibited. As
new Territories were bought from the
Indians Or opened up to settle
ment, pending their subsequent creation
into fresh States, the two parties dis
puted the question SO hotly that kind of
2ueTuld war commenced between UlOSe
who were trying to extend slavery into those
Northern Territories and the Free State
men, who opposed it. My father was a
strong Free State man, and in the political
agitation which preceded the outbreak of
actual hostilities he took a leading part
One day, in 1885, he was speaking at an
open air meeting, | believe the first political
meeting held in Kansas; the pro-slavery
party mustered strong, but my father made
no secret of his views the temper of the
crowd grew violent and threaten
ing; they began to press round
the dry goods box on which
he was standing before a frontier store:
while he was trying to pacify the angry
mob one of the scoundrels, Charles Dunn by
name, jumped on the box behind and
stabbed him in the back with bowie-knife.
He died from the wound, and for the mo-
ment the murderer escaped, for the sympa-
thy of the mob was with the crime. But a
few years afterward, when the civil war
broke out, | had my revenge The pro-
slavery party of Kansas joined the South
ern cause; Charles Dunn was killed, and out
of all those who had participated in my
fathers murder there was only one who
escaped death at the hands of the free-State
men.
Thus had to shift for myself at an early
age, and those were days when it was almost
impossible to avoid coming into contact with
Indians at every turn. | drove stage, rode
the pony-express, took freight across the
plains, did whatever | could for a living,
and gained a knowledge of every mile of
countrywhich none could beat; | got to know
the ways of the Indians, too, and they soon
knew me- went trapping and hunting all
over their country; they hated the trappers
and were always on the lookout for them,
so that it was dangerous game, and a man
always carried his life in his hand on
such expeditions One or two of us
IN
widest part of the country, far from any
settlements and only inhabited by rowing
bands of Indians Choosing the ground, we
would build log hut, or dugout, as it is
called, and set about trapping beaver or
hunting buffalo and wapiti. Hundreds of
trappers have been killed while setting their
traps along stream or skinning the game
they have caught. l have had many a
tussle myself, but been as lucky as a man
who goes unhurt through battle in which
thousands are killed. When the Indians
Jump you, if you have been on the look
out, there is generally time to get behind a
tree, and then make the best fight of it you
can.
remember one occasion, however, when
the red men treated me quite generously
It was an experience shall never forget. |
was IA years old-still only boy trapper,
as one might say-and started on an ex-
petition with man named Dave HarTing-
ton. We went right away, 125 miles from
any settlement, with yoke of oxen and a
light wagon to carry supplies and haul our
frirs back We found creek where there
was lots of game, and there we made our
winter camp On the side of hill we built
dug out, and turned the oxen out to Craze
upon a small island, where we left them;
then we began trapping and did splendidly
for few weeks, everything going we'll
But one day, while we were out after elk,
as we were going round sharp bend of the
creek, 1. fell so heavily upon a slippery
hill slope that broke the shin-bone of my
leg.
Dave Harrington managed to carry me
back to the dug out; but, unluckily, not long
before this one of our oxen had slipped upon
the ice in trying to cross from the island
and received injuries which obliged us to kill
it. We had thus only one left, and he was
not strong enough to haul me back in the
wagon to the settlement. So Dave had to
leave me lying in the dug-out and started off
upon his Journey of 125 miles to get help,
promising to be back in twenty days. had
plenty of food and snow water, so there was
no fear of my starving. On the eighteenth
day, hearing a noise outside, | supposed it
was Dave returned before his time,
and cauU ont to let him know | was all